Category: Scale up

Global Access of Service and Technology Solutions SystemNationalism is resurgent. Brexit continues to be the known unknown, but is looming. The pound has fallen and shows no sign of recovering much. Inflation has started to rise. So have business insolvencies. We’re heading into the unknown of Brexit. We’re in the throes of an election that is at best diversionary.
All the indicators are scary, but despite them, much of British Business is doing what it does best. Keeping calm and carrying on. Waiting for “clarity” before taking any new action or making any investments or changes. Which is, of course, courting disaster.
As you’d expect me to say, the current uncertainties make internationalisation a top priority for businesses, especially those in the services sector. However, I’m coming from a different angle here.
The Brexit priority seems to be cutting immigration. Potential European immigrants, however, aren’t waiting for a change of policy – they’re already going somewhere else – and many who are already in the UK are looking for opportunities to leave. This is a problem for almost all businesses, even those that don’t currently employ any (and it’s not just the health service that’s dependent on foreign labour).
Fewer immigrants means it will be more difficult to hire. Some politicians seem to think that there is a vast pool of domestic labour that is being neglected by employers who would rather hire foreigners. Any business person could tell them that there is no prejudice against nationals in any company here – the vast majority of that pool of unemployed Britons either can’t work, won’t work or are unemployable. To solve the problem, we welcome and hire young, talented and hard working people from Europe and the wider world.
Following basic economic rules, a reduction in the supply of such people will increase the cost of all labour, as employers are forced to offer higher salaries to attract the staff they need from a scarcer offering. Deliberate cuts to profitability are limited, so, coupled with the higher prices now seeping through from exchange rate changes in 2016, we are bound to see an accelerating inflationary spiral.
One solution is to hire abroad, in countries where the skills you need are more plentiful and costs are lower. I’m not advising outsourcing – that takes away your control and generally increases costs – but setting up a subsidiary operation.
Entrepreneurs in the services sectors tend to shy away from this idea, or limit their interest to offshoring back office jobs. But why? The businesses that they serve, especially the younger and more dynamic ones, don’t expect local friendly face-to-face chats with their solicitor or accountant. In the modern world, everyone’s used to online access and video conference calls, and is happy if it means the service costs less or has other advantages such as 24/7 service.
Moving a lot of the work offshore to your very own subsidiary, retaining the core skills and entrepreneurship here, can ensure sustainability for the business and increase profitability.
Making new sales to an international market from that base can also guard against currency fluctuations. Companies already exporting services can, by moving the centre of delivery away from their home country, avoid any new trade barriers and guard against negative and nationalistic sentiments that may arise in their existing markets (think “America First”). Similar benefits can be had by manufacturers moving final assembly abroad.
Done the right way, creating a new overseas subsidiary can be quick and cheap to set up. In most cases, it could be trading within 6 months and be self-financing in the first year. Come on, small UK businesses, what are you waiting for?

A lesson for British Business

To add to all the disruption and apparent chaos that the country has descended into over the last few days, soccer fans are shocked – or at least disgruntled – by tiny Iceland’s defeat of mighty England in the European football cup yesterday.

What happened there? Pundits were united in saying that the key factors were the commitment and enthusiasm of the Icelandic team. It proves that with determination and a good plan, even the unlikeliest of the teams can succeed.

There’s a lesson for British Business here. A disappointingly large number of companies in the UK do not expand abroad, limiting their international activities to exporting via third party distributors or perhaps outsourcing some labour-intensive activities such as accounting or call centres. Quite apart from reluctance to invest and fear of the unknown, I still meet many business people who believe that “we do it better here at home”.

Just as with football, overseas business subsidiary teams, especially those based in developing countries, often overtake their British HQ staff in terms of enthusiasm and commitment. This is particularly true where the company has had the foresight (and some would say bravery) to hire highly skilled individuals to perform strategic roles in the globalised company.

All over the world you can find skilled, qualified professionals determined to prove their worth. Put them into a new international subsidiary operation, and your demonstration of commitment to their country will be repaid many times over with their contributions to your business. Expansion is Great!